Strap tensioning and sealing device



Dec. 5, 1939. Hi J. SPENCER 2,182,004

STRAP TENSiONING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR Her/nap Spencer .Dec. 5,1939. 7 4 H. J. SPENCER ,0 STRAPTENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE F iled Aug. 11, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Herman J. Spencer 6 M M Dec. 5, 1939; H. J SPENCER 2,182,004

' STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE Fi led Aug. 1-1. 1937 5Sheets-Sheet '3 i9 J56 J51 INVENTOR Herman J. SIDE/7C6!" 6 5, 1939. H..lv SPENCER STRAP TENSIONING AND SEALING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 1937 5Sheets-Sheet 4 5, 1939. I s c 2,182,004

STRAP TENSIONINQ AND SEALING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11, 195? SSheets-Sheet 525 Z INVENTOR Herman d. Spencer 9 J1 J6 M' M Patented Dec. 5, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Herman J. Spencer, West View, Pa., assignorto Leechgrip Company, O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, Pa. acorporation oi. Pennsyl- Vania Application August 11,

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device for securing together the endsof a metallic reinforcing strip or band which has been passed around acontainer or package and more particularly to certain improvements in adevice of such character such as the one shown and described in myco-pending application Serial No. 23,895, flled May 28, 1935, now PatentNumber 2,102,981, dated December 21, 1937. I

While devices of this general character have been known heretofore thosewith which I am familiar are characterized by certain objectionablefeatures. The purpose of the present invention is to produce a strapfastening device which is characterized by simplicity, relatively lowcost of construction, a high degree of effectiveness in operation, andwhich requires little or no maintenance. Other novel features andadvantages of the present invention will be more i specifically pointedout and described in the detailed description ofthe preferred embodimentof my invention which is illustrated in the appended drawings. v

In accordance with my invention, I provide a device having a base and astandard mounted thereon, the base standard carrying the variousoperating parts. The structure is provided with three operating handlesor levers by which all of the necessary operations are carried out. Onehandle or lever is arranged to actuate rollers for tightening the bandor strap around the box or package. A second lever cooperates with thetightening mechanism and is adapted to lower the toothed wheels whichare used for tightening the strap down onto thestrap and for raising thewheels after the completion of the strapping operation. This same leveris also so arranged as to operate the feeding mechanism for feeding aclip or seal into appropriate position above the overlapped ends of thestrap. This same lever is also arranged so that it canvbe operativelydisengaged from .the tightening mechanism and swung in the reversedirection for cooperation with a lever for actuating a shear for cuttingofl the coil end of the strap. The third lever is the forming lever.This lever actuates the mechanism comprising a ram and forming jaws.Operation of the forming lever causes the ram to descend in the standardand as it descends the forming jaws are adapted to bend a fiat clip sealaround the overlapping ends of the strap,and continued downward movementof the ram crimps the clip seal and the strap ends so as to form apermanent joint therebetween.

A device of this general character is shown and.

1937, Serial Nb. 158,600

described in my copending application Serial No. 23,895. While thedevice there shown and described obviates many of the difliculties ofthe machines known heretofore the device which I provide by my presentinvention obviates certain difliculties encountered with that machine aswell as'in the prior art machines. In the prior art machines the coilend of the strap has ofnecessity been cut or sheared some littledistance away from the seal. This leaves a free and exposed strap endwhich bends upwardly to a slight extent from the end of the seal andpresents a hazard to the person handling the bundle, box or packagewhich has been strapped. The straps used are quite thin but they aresufliciently rigid that the free exposed strap end will do substantialdamage either to the hands of the person handling the box or bundle orto articles with which it may come in contact. By the present inventionI provide a structure which overcomes this difliculty and which permitsthe cutting of the coil end of the strap at the exact edge of the sealor beneath the seal so that there, is little or no free exposed strapend which may cause damage.

In accordance with the present invention I also provide a structure inwhich difficulties in feeding the fiat clip,blank over the overlappingstrap ends are overcome. In the structure which I provide the feedingmechanism for feeding the flat clip blanks from the magazine whichcontains a plurality of them'is actuated by the lever which is used forbringing the tightening wheels into "contact with the overlapping strapends. The feeding mechanism is of such character that the feedingshuttle and the pawl carried thereby will not be retracted by thefeeding mechanism unless the shuttle lever has been actuated to such anextent as to properly position the fiat clip seal over the overlappingends of the strap. For example, if the feeding shuttle and the pawlcarried thereby are only moved throughout a portion of the distancerequired to completely feed the flat clip blanks, the shuttle willremain in this position until the shuttle lever is moved to a sufficientextent to complete the feeding operation. This is highly advantageous instructures of this character as it precludes any possibility of feedingmore than one fiat clip seal to crimping position at any one time and italso prevents jamming of the device.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the provision ofpositive seal supporting members for supporting the fiat clip seam onthe bottom ofthe presser head. In accordance with my invention I provideseal supports for engaging the ends of the fiat clip blank forsupporting the blank above the strap ends until the ram and the presserhead are lowered onto the overlapping strap ends for the formation of aseal.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of aspring pressed pin extending through the base of the presser head andcooperating with a small hole or recess in the flat clip seal forpositively centering the seal so that it will be in proper position whenlowered-onto the overlapping strap ends.

For a complete understanding of the present invention, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings illustrating a present preferredembodiment, although it will be understood that numerous details shownand described may be otherwise embodied without departing from the scopeof my broader claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the structure which I provideplaced in operative position upon a box about which the strap has beenpassed;

Figure 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of

the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the structure in Figure 1, aportion of the feeding mechanism being shown in section;

4 Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along the line IV-IV of Figure2; v

Figure 5 is a longitudinalsectional view taken along the line VV ofFigure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the lineV'IVI of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an elevational view of the cutting mechanism;-

Figure 8 is a plan view of the cutting mechanism shown in Figure '7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the supports for holding theflat clip seals in position on the base of the presser head;

Figure 10 is a plan view of the joint formed by the device which Iprovide;

Figure 11 is a side elevational view of the joint shown in Figure 10;and

Figure 12 is a section taken along the line XII--XII of Figure 10.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a base 2 having astandard 3 mounted thereon. The standard 3 is .split along asubstantially central plane as indicated at 4, for convenience inassembling, into two portions 5 and 6 which are appropriately securedtogether bymeans of screws l and 8. The portion 6 of the standard issecured to and supported on the base 2. The portion 5 of the standard iscarried on the portion 6 in overhanging relation to one edge of the base2 which is tapered or feathered off at 9 to facilitate the entry of suchedge under the meeting ends of a metallic strap or band Hi passed arounda box or package H. The tapered edge of the base 2 is,

' slotted at 12 for a purpose which will presently appear.

In use the strap I0 is drawn from a coil l3 and $5 wrapped around thebox H and the free end brought back under the portion of the strapextending to the coil as shown in Figure 1. The device is then moved sothat the tapered edge of the base 2 enters under the free end of 70 thestrap. The coil end of the strap is disposed between a shearing block I5and the shear I6. The shear I6 is normally upraised so as to permit thestrap to be positioned between it and the shearing block, but isreciprocable relative it to the shearing block I5 so as to permit theposition over the strap ends.

shearing of the coil end of the strap. This shearing mechanism will bedescribed more in detail later. Keepers l1 and I8 are provided forholding the overlapped ends of the strap in proper position for joiningthem together. The keepers I! and H! are pivotally mounted on thestandard 3. The keeper I 8 is manually operableand the keeper I! isautomatically operated bythe mechanism for feeding the flat clip blanksinto This operating mechanism will be described more in detail later.

Before shearing the coil end of the strap from that portion which hasbeen passed'around the box II, it is desirable to tighten the straparound the box and to hold it in tension during the for-.

and the enlarged portion is provided with slots 26 which are adapted tocooperate with laterally projecting prongs or fingers 21 at the lowerend of the eccentric shaft lever 28. The eccentric portion 29 of theshaft 24 between the en-- larged portion 25 and the standard 23 carry'toothed tightening wheels 30 which are free to rotate relative to theshaft. A ratchet wheel 3| is provided between the toothed wheels 30 andrigidly secured to the wheels 30 by rivets 32.

The eccentric shaft lever is hinged intermediate its length on a hingepin 33 which is supported by the shear lever 34 more specificallydescribed hereinafter. At its upper end the shaft lever is.bent tocooperate with the cam end 35 of the operating handle 36 which ismounted for rotation about a fulcrum pin 31 carried by the shear lever34. This arrangement is provided in order to permit the disengagement ofthe shaft lever from the eccentric shaft so as to permit the shaft leverand the shear lever which carries it to be rotated without rotation ofthe eccentric shaft. In order to disengage the shaft lever it is merelynecessary that the handle 36 be rotated about the fulcrum pin into theposition shown in dotted lines in Figure 6. As the handle is moved tothis position the cam surface of the handle cooperates with the upperend of the shaft lever and rotates the shaft lever about its hinge pin,thereby moving the shaft lever to the position shown in chain lines inFigure 6. In this position the fingers 21 are completely removed fromthe slots 26 so that rotation of the shearlever and the shaft lever willnot result in rotation of the eccentric shaft and the parts carriedthereby.

The shaft lever is normally forced to the position shown in solid linesin Figure 6 by a flat steel spring 38 which is secured to the frame 39of the shear lever. At its lower end the spring is bent inwardly so asto bear against the lower end of the shaft lever and force it intooperative relationship with the eccentric shaft.

The shear lever 34 is carried by the eccentric shaft, it being supportedon the end of the eccentric shaft by means of a screw 40 which isthreaded into the threaded opening 41 in the end of the shaft. The screw40 is provided with a supporting surface 42 upon which the shear leveris mounted. The shear lever is provided with openings 43 through whichthe fingers of the shaft lever extend for engagement with the slots inthe eccentric shaft.

- The eccentric portion of the shaft 24 also carries ratchet retainingplates 44 on either side of the toothed wheels 38. These ratchetretaining plates are securely connected at their upper ends with ahandle 45 which carries a grip 46 on theouter end thereof. An operatingpawl 41 is mounted on a pin 48 carried between the ratchet retainingplates. This pawl cooperates with the ratchet wheel 3| for rotation ofthe ratchet wheel and the toothed band tightening wheels upon movementof the handle 45. The pawl, upon movement of the handle 45 in acounter-clockwise direction as shown in Figure 5, slides over the teethof the ratchet wheel and upon movementof the lever in a clockwisedirection engages the teeth and causes rotation of the wheel. A pawlspring 49 is positioned in a recess 58 in the ratchet lever 45 andcooperates with-the pawl for normally forcing it into engagement withthe ratchet teeth.

A pawl 5| is pivotally mounted on a pin 52carried by the standardadjacent the ratchet wheel.

This pawl cooperates with the ratchet wheel so as to prevent rotation ofthe ratchet wheel in a counter-clockwise direction as shown in Figure 5.The pawl 5| is normally urged into engagement with the teeth of theratchet wheel by a spring 53, one end of which is supported in a recess54 in with the over-lapped strap ends positioned there-' below. Thetoothed wheels ar'e'positioned immediately above a serrated insert 56overwhich the strap ends pass. As will be apparent, if the toothedwheels 38 have been brought into env,gagement with the overlapping strapends, the

ratchet lever 45 can be reciprocated and the strap ends tightened aroundthe package or bundle about which the strap is placed.

After adequate tightening has been effected, the handle 36 is moved tothe position shown in chain lines in Figure 6 and the shaft leverdisengaged from the shaft so that the shear lever maybe rotated foreffecting the shearing operation without rotation of the eccentricshaft.

When-the strap has been, tightened around the box as described'above,the free end is ready to be attached permanently to the coil portion ofthe strap, and the coil portion of the strap sheared from the body ofthe coil. I utilize a substantially flat rectangular sheet metal clipfor effecting the joint between the overlapped strap ends. The clipseals which I use are adapted to have their edges bent around the strapand crimped so as to permanently bind the two ends of strapagainstrelative movement.

A supply of the clip blanks 6| is maintained in a magazine 62 mounted onthe standard 3. The magazine 62 comprises a, sheet metal channel 63which is provided with a removable cover 64 to permit the insertion ofadditional clip blanks 6| therein. A seal retaining member 65 cooperateswith the uppermost seal in the magazine. A spring 66 cooperates with theupper end of the magazine and with the retaining member 65 so as tonormally force the seals which are in the magazine in a downwarddirection so that the lowermost one will be in position to be fed overthe superposed strap ends.

The feeding of the clips fromthe magazine to a position over the'strapis effected through rotation of the eccentric shaft 24. A collar 6? istion of the shuttle lever.

secured to the outer end of the shaft by means of a set screw 68. Thiscollar is provided with a pin 69 adapted to cooperate with a slot 10 inthe shuttle lever II which is pivotally mounted on the base 2 by meansof a screw 12. The shuttle lever 1| comprises a main body portion 13 andan end portion 14. The end portion I4 is pivotally mounted on a pin 15extendingthrough openings 16 in depending lugsl'l on the main body por-A spring 18 surrounds one end of the pin 15 and one end abuts againstthe lug TI and the other end abuts against the end portion 14. By thisarrangement the end portion 14 of the shuttle lever may be raised orlowered about the pin 15 anddue to the resilient mounting it will remainin any position to which it is moved. Another feature of this type ofmounting for the operating end of the shuttle lever is that it providesan adjustment for the shuttle lever so that it can be adjusted laterallyin order to provide for proper feeding of the seals. This is ofsubstantial importance where seals of different sizes are utilized.

The operating end 14 of the shuttle lever is adapted to cooperate withthe reciprocable shuttle 19 mounted within a shuttle guard which ispositioned under the casing 8| which is mounted on the base of thedevice. The operating end 14 of the shuttle lever extends through anopening 82 in the adjacent side wall of the casing 8| and through alongitudinal recess 83 in the shuttle guard. It extends into theL-shaped recess 84 in the shuttle so that it will operate the shuttle inboth the feeding direction and in the reverse direction. One side of theopening 84 presents a .relatively long cooperating face 85 for vcooperation with the lever 14. The other face of the opening or recess84 is shorter than the face 85 so as to provide'the L-shaped recessextending through the rear end of the shuttle and to present a shoulder86 which will not be engaged by the operating lever 14 when it has beenmoved to its lowermost position. I

In normal non-operating position the parts are as shown in Figure 4, theoperating end of the shuttle lever being so positioned that movementthereof in the feeding direction will cause the shuttle 19 to moveforward and movement of the operating lever in the'reverse directionwill cause it to pass beneath the face 86 of the recess 84.

Actuation of the shuttle is effected by rotation of the eccentric shaft24. As it is rotated the pin 68 is moved in the operating slot III inthe shuttle lever and the operating end of the shuttle lever cooperateswith the face 85 and moves the shuttle and the shuttle 'pawl 81 carriedthereby forwardly. The shuttle pawl is mounted on a shaft 88 carried bythe shuttle and a spring 89 is provided for normally urging the forwardend of the pawl in an upward direction. A stop pin 90 is also providedon the shuttle pawl which is adapted to cooperate with the upper end ofthe shuttle in order to prevent the spring from forcing the forward endof the pawl too far upwardly. As the shuttle and the shuttle pawl aremoved forward, the forward end of the pawl passes the end 9| of theshuttle guard and is forced upwardlyv to a suflicient extent to permitthe forward end ofthe pawl to engage the lowermost seal in the magazine.Continued movement of the shuttle in a feeding direction will cause theseal 6| to be carried to a position above andto be properly positionedover the overlapped ends of the. stra A resilient spring 92 is mountedon thebase adjacent the magazine for the seals. The outermost end of thespring 92 is secured to the base and the inner end which is positionedadjacent the magazine is bent upwardly as indicated at 93. As theshuttle moves forward in a feeding direction, the operating end 14 ofthe shuttle lever is in the position indicated in Figure 4. If sumcientmovement of the operating lever is not effected to complete the feedingoperation and the shuttle lever is moved in the reverse direction, dueto the fact that it is in the lower position it will not engage theshoulder 86 of the shuttle and the shuttle itself will not be returnedto non-operating position. However, if the shuttle lever is movedthrough its entire feeding stroke, when it reaches the forward endthereof the spring 92 will raise the operating end of the shuttle leverupwardly to the position where it will engage the shoulder 86 of theshuttle so that upon the return stroke of the shuttle lever the shuttlewill be returned to rest position. 7

As the operating end of the shuttle lever is in raised position duringthe return stroke it is desirable before it reaches the end of thereturn stroke to force the shuttle lever to the lowered position so thatthe apparatus will again properly function during the feeding operation.The shuttle guard is provided withfa member 94 having a shoulder 96a.adjacent the end thereof so that at substantially the termination of thereturn stroke of the shuttle lever the shoulder will cooperate with theshuttle lever to move it downwardly to its lowermost position. As theshuttle lever is moved rearwardly it is in the upper position in whichit engages the shoulder 86 of the shuttle. Near the end of the returnstroke the lever comes in contact with the inclined shoulder 96a and iscammed to the lower position.

The shuttle lever, the shuttle and the operating mechanism justdescribed, are arranged in this way so that if the shuttle is not movedcompletely through the feeding stroke movement of the shuttle lever tothe left as shown in Figurei will not move the shuttle back to aposition where it can engage and move forward another fiat' clipblankupon further movement of the shuttle lever in the feeding direction. Ifthe parts were not constructed-and arranged in this man-- ner, one flatclip blank could be fed only part way toward {the sealing mechanism andanother flat clip blank could also be fed forward and jamming of the mahi would result. As the parts are arranged ifl; gflat clip blank is onlyfed through a portion of the feeding stroke due to incomplete movementof the shuttle the move ment of the shuttle lever through the returnstroke will not return the shuttle. Before any additional clip can befed into position beneath the sealing mechanism the one which has beenpartially moved forward will have to be moved through the completefeeding stroke. As the parts are arranged the shuttle lever will notreturn the shuttle to a position where it can pick up an additional flatclip seal until the feeding stroke has been completed. Feeding mechanismof this character is advantageous as it precludes any possibility ofjamming and also precludes any possibility of more than one clip sealbeing fed over the superposed strap ends at any one time.

After the strap has been tightened in the manner heretofore described,it is desirable to cut the coil end of the strap from the remainderthereof. In accordance with my invention I provide a cutting or shearingdevice which is movable so that it can be moved to a position beneaththe bending and crimping mechanism and eifect the shearing adjacent theedge of the seal ficiently close to the edge of the seal that aninsufficient amount of free strap end will be left or beneath the edgeof the seal or at least sufexposed to do any damage. The shear orcutting .tions of the shear mechanism are mounted on the base 2 of thedevice and are movably secured thereto by means of the shear frame pin91. Thetop shear I6 is provided with a shearing edge 98 which is adaptedto cooperate with the shearing block. The top shear is fulcrumed on theshear frame by a pin 99 for movement relative to the cutting block. Theshear operating lever 85 is pivotally mounted on the shear frame by thefulcrum pin I00. A spring Illl is provided for normally urging the topshear upwardly out of cutting position. Asecond spring I62 is providedfor normally urging the shear frame and the parts described above towardshearing position,- one end of the spring I02 cooperating with anabutment on the base 2 and the other end thereof cooperating with theshear frame.

The shear operating lever extends forwardly of the standard so as tocooperate with the shear lever 34. After the strap has beenappropriately tightened the eccentric shaft lever is disengaged from theeccentric shaft in the manner described heretofore and the shear lever34 is rotated about the eccentric shaft and in a counter-clockwisedirection as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 to the position indicated inchain lines in Figure 1. By virtue of the fact that the shear levercomes in direct engagement with the shear operating lever 95 furthermovement of the shear lever will-depress the shear operating lever 95thereby forcing the top shear downwardly for shearing the coil end ofthe strap from the remaining portion thereof.

The top shear I6 extends horizontally to a position beneath thevertically reciprocable sealing mechanism including the ram, the bendingand crimping jaws, and the seal supports to be described hereinafter.The upper surface of this top shear is beveled as at I03 so as to permitthis extension of the shearing edge beneath the vertically reciprocablemechanism. When this mechanism is lowered the seal support [.40 strikesthe beveled surface and continued downward movement of this mechanismcams the entire shearingmechanism to one side against the pressure ofthe spring I 02 which normally urges the shear frame to the cuttingposition in which the upper shear extends beneath the verticallyreciprocable mechanism. Upon raising and bending the crimping mechanismupon completion of the bending and crimping operation the shearmechanism is again automatically returned to shearing position by thespring I02.

The mechanism for pressing the seal 8!, which has been appropriately fedby the feeding mechanism, down on the strap and for bending and crimpingit and the overlapping strap ends includes a ram I04 which isreciprocable inxsuitable guides formed in the standard'3. The ram isreciprocated in the standard by means or a forming lever I 05 pivotallymounted at I06 on the standard. The forming lever I05 is provided with aslot IIJ'I cooperating witha pin I08 carried by a ram operating link I69which is pivotally mounted 'at H0 to the standard. This operating link,in turn, is provided with a slot I H in which a ram pin H2 is mounted.The ram wardly extending side plates H4 are provided the seal supports.

on each end of each of the forming or bending jaws. The side plates areprovided with openings II5 to receive the main operating pin H6. Theseplates are also provided with overlapping slots II'I adapted to receivethe operating pin H8 which extends through an opening H9 in the ram. Themain operating pin I I6 also extends through a longitudinally extendingslot I in the ram. The main operating pin H6 at each end extends beyondthe side plates to the forming jaws, and these ends cooperate withguides HI and stop members I22.

The bending and crimping mechanism also includes a presser head I whichis generally U- shaped having a bottom portion I3I and side members I32.The side members are provided with slots I33 to receive the mainoperating pin H6 and with slots I34 for receiving the inwardlyprojecting portion of the ram stop guide so that .when the presser headhas been moved'downwardly to a sufiicient extent to be brought intocontact with the overlapping strap ends further downward movementthereof will be prevented.

The ram is provided with a longitudinally extending recess I35 which isadapted toreceive a spring I36, the lower end of which bears against thepresser head thereby normallyholding the ram in up-raised position. Atthe lower end the ram is provided with hardened tips I31 which, uponlowering of the ram, come in contact with the seal and the overlappingstrap ends and crimp the seal and the strap ends as indicated at I38 inFigures 10, 11 and 12., The presser head is provided with slots I39 topermit the hardened tips of the ram to pass therethrough and contact theseal.

Seal supports I40 made of fiat spring steel are also associated with thebending and crimping mechanism and reciprocated therewith. A sealsupport is mounted on each side of the presser head and extendsdownwardly around the lower end thereof, a horizontal tip being providedat the lower end of each seal support in order to receive and support aseal which is fed by the feeding mechanism into position above theoverlapping strap ends and below the presser head. Each seal support isprovided with an opening I4I adapted to receive the main operating pinH6. These opening or slots I M extend longitudinally of the sealsupports so as to permit the operating pin H6 to move relative to theseal supports upon the completion of the stroke of An opening I42 isalso provided in each of the seal supports to receive the llaitlerallyprojecting finger of theram stop guide It is highly desirable that theseals fed into position below the'presser head and above the superposedstrap ends shall be accurately positioned. The seal supports will, ofcourse, aid in properly positioning the seals but in order to assure theproper positioning of the seals I propose to utilize seals which areprovided with a center hole or recess I43 which will cooperate with aspring pressed pin I44 extending through the bottom of the presser head.A spring I45 is provided in the recess I35 in the ram for pressing thepin I44.downwardly through the opening in the presser head at all times.A shoulder I46 is provided on the pin for preventing it from passingcompletely through theopening in the presser head. The holes I43 in theseals serve another useful purpose. These holes can be used for properstacking and shipping of the seals.

An adjustable stop pin I50 is mounted on the standard for limiting themovement of the forming lever I05.

As pointed out-heretofore, keepers I1 and I8 are provided for properlyalining the strap ends during operation of the device. The keeper I8 isoperable manually and the keeper I1 is automatically actuated by a pinI5I carried by the shuttle lever II. This pin I5I reciprocates in a slotI52 in the keeper II.

In the operation of the device just described,-

the strap I0 is first disposed about the box I I. The shear lever 34 andthe eccentric shaft lever 28 are rotated by the handle 36 in acounterclockwise direction from the position marked I shown in solidlines to the position marked III shown in chain lines. During thisperiod of time the handle 36 extends at right angles to the levers andby reason of the movement of the eccentric shaft lever, the toothedwheels 30 are brought into firm engagement with the overlapping strapends. The tightening lever 45 is then raised to the position shown inchain lines and is reciprocated between that position and the positionshown in solid lines for rotating the toothed tightening wheels fortightening the strap around the box. After the strap has been sumcientlytightened the handle 36 is raised from the position shown in solid linesin Figure 6 to the position shown in chain lines so as to disengage theeccentric shaft lever. from the shaft. The handle 36 and the shear lever34' are then moved from the position marked II in Figure 1 to theposition marked 111. During this operation the eccentric shaft isrotated thereby actuating the shuttle lever which,,in turn, operates thefeeding mechanism and feeds a seal to a position above the overlappingstrap ends and immediately below the presser head, the seal being heldin this position by means of the seal supports heretofore described. Theshear lever then 1 .the operation of the forming lever for forcing theseal down onto the strap ends and for bending it therearound and forcrimping it. During initial movement of .the forming lever I05 in aclockwise direction as shown in Figure 1, the spring latch I53 isdisengaged and the ram operating link I00caused to force the ram pin H2and the ram downwardlly. The ram pin H2 is provided with a reduced endportion I54 which cooperates with a forming lever latch I55, the reducedend portion of the ram pin extending into a small recess I56 in thelatch. The latch is provided with roller pins I51 which cooperate with aslot I58 in the latch guide I50. The slot I58 at its lower end is turnedat right angles to the main direction oftravel of the rollers I51.

The latch I55 is provided with a protruding nose portion I60 adapted tobear against the main operating pin H6.

During the initial downward movement of the ram pin M2 the forming leverlatch by the arrangement. just described causes the main operating pinH6 to move downwardly with the ram. When the lower roller I51 of theforming lever latch reaches the lateral portion of the slot it moveslaterally and the ram pin reduced end is disengaged from the forminglever latch, and continued downward movement of the forming lever latchby reason of the operation of the ram pin H2 stops.

During the above-described operation the ram moves downwardly and byvirtue of the connection between the ram and the main operating pin H6through the ram pin and the forming lever latch, the main operating pinH6 and the jaws carried thereby are moved downwardly. The presser headand the seal supports likewise move downwardly with the main operatingpin. During this operation the seal is brought into contact with thesuperposed strap ends and the jaws bend the seal downwardly past theedges of the strap. Further downward movement of the ram causes theoperating pin l|8 to continue in its downward movement and by reason ofthe overlapping slots in the jaws the jaws are pulled together forbending the seal. inwardly around the strap. Further continued downwardmovement of the ram Will cause the hardened tips I31 to pass through theopenings in the forming lever guard and to. crimp the seal and the strapends. As has been stated before, the initial downward movement of theforming and crimping mechanism will force the shearing mechanism to oneside against the pressure of the spring so as to permit the seal toextend over or adjacent to the sheared strap end.

After the forming operation has been completed, the forming lever I israised and the spring forces the plunger and other operating partsupwardly into position for a repetition of the operation. During theupward movement of the ram pin it will engage the slot in' the forminglever latch and pull the latch to the right as shown in Figure 4 andcarry it upwardly in the operating slot I58.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the inventionprovides a device for expeditiously and effectively securingtogether-the ends of a binding or reinforcing strap passing around a boxor other container. It also will be apparent that the device isrelatively simple in construction so that it can be manufacturedcomparatively cheaply and operated by unskilled labor. The device iscompact and complete and atthe same time is of such size that it can bereadily handled by the workmen. The unitary device which 'I provideincorporates means for tightening and severing the strap; for feeding afiat clip blank or seal over the overlapped ends of the strap and forforming a joint between the clip and the overlapped ends of the strap.

While I have shown and described herein a pre ferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be recognized that changes in the constructiondisclosed can be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionor the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, vertically reciprocable meansincluding forming jaws, a ram and a presser head for positioning a clipseal over the superposed strap ends and for forming the joint betweenthe strap. ends and the clip seal, feeding apparatus for feeding a clipseal over the superposed strap ends and below said reciprocable means,and at least one seal support carried by said vertically reciprocablemeans for supporting the seal above the strap ends and below thevertically reciprocable means.

2, Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, vertically re ciprocable meansincluding forming jaws, a ram and a presser head for positioning a clipseal over the superposed strap ends and for forming the joint betweenthe strap ends and the clip seal, feeding apparatus for feeding a clipseal over the superposed strap ends and below said reciprocable means,at least one seal support carried by said vertically reciprocable meansfor supporting the seal above the strap ends and below the verticallyreciprocable means, and stop means for stopping the downward movement ofthe seal support prior to the termination of the downward stroke of thevertically reciprocable means.

3. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing mechanism includingbending jaws for forming the joint between the strap ends and theclipseal, a reciprocable shuttle for feeding a clip seal to a positionbeneath the sealing machanism, a

shuttle lever for operating the shuttle through a feeding-stroke andupon completion of the feeding stroke through a return stroke, meansoperable at the end of the feeding stroke to move the shuttle lever intooperative position with respect to the shuttle for moving the samethrough the return stroke, and means forv actuating the shuttle lever.

4. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and 'for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing mechanism includingbending jaws for forming the joint between the strap and the clip seal,a reciprocable shuttle for feeding a clip seal to a position beneathsaid sealing mechanism, the shuttle having an L-shaped recess thereinextending through the rear end thereof, a shuttle lever positioned insaid recessand arranged to cooperate with the shuttle to move it in onedirection only until after the completion of the feeding stroke ofthe,shuttle, means for mov- "ging the shuttle lever at the end of thefeeding stroke of the shut-tle upwardly into the recess so as to preventreturn movement of the shuttle lever without the shuttle, means forreciprocating the shuttle lever, and a shuttle guard, said guard havinga shoulder portion adapted to lower the shuttle lever at the end. of thereturn stroke of the shuttle to position it to actuate the shuttle inone direction only.

5. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap andaclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing means for forming thejoint between the strap ends and the clip seal, feeding apparatus forfeeding a clip seal over the superposed .strap ends adjacent the sealingmechanism, a movably mounted shear for severing the upper strap adjacentthe point of sealing, and means for actuating the shear, said movablymounted shear being normally positioned beneath said sealing mechanismand hav-' ing a cam surface adapted to cooperate with the sealingmechanism to permit the sealing mechanism to cam the shear away from thejoint upon downward movement of the sealing mechanism.

6. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing mechanism includingbending jaws for forming the joint between the strap ends and the clipseal, feeding apparatus for feeding a clip seal over the superposedstrap ends and adjacent the sealing mechanism, a movably mounted shearincluding a shear block and an upper'shear member for severing the upperstrap adjacent the point of sealing, and means for actuating the shear,said movably mounted shear being automatically cammed out of cuttingposition adjacent the point of sealing upon actuation of the sealingmechanism.

'7. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing mechanism for forming thejoint between the strap ends and the clip seal, feeding apparatus forfeeding the clip seal over the superposed strap ends and adjacent thesealing mechanism, a movably mounted shear including a shear block andan upper shear member for severing the upper strap adjacent the point'of sealing, spring means for normally urging the shear toward shearingposition, and means for actuating the shear, said movably mounted shearextending beneath the sealing mechanism when in normal position andcooperating with s'aidsealing mechanism so that upon movement of thesealing mechanism to sealing position the shear will be moved therebyaway from the point of sealing.

8. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, vertically reciprocable sealingmechanism for forming the joint between the strap ends and the clipseal, feeding apparatus for feeding a clip seal above the superposedstrap ends and adjacent the sealing mechanism, a movably mounted shearincluding a shear block and an upper shear memher for severing the upperstrap adjacent the point of sealing, means for normally urging the shearto a position beneath said sealing mechanism, said shear having a camsurface for cooperation with the sealing mechanism whereby movement ofthe sealing mechanism to sealing position will automatically move theshear out of position beneath the sealing mechanism, means for actuatingthe sealing mechanism and means for actuating the shear.

9. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and aclip seal comprising,

means for tightening the strap and for holding the strapends insuperposed relationship, sealing mechanism including bending jaws forforming the joint between the strap ends and the clip seal, areciprocable shuttle for feeding a clip seal to a position adjacent thesealing mechanism, a reciprocableshuttle lever for moving the shuttlethrough a feeding stroke and upon completion of the feeding strokethrough a return stroke, said shuttle lever and shuttle being arrangedso that the lever may be moved into and out of operative engagement withthe shuttle, means operable at approximately the end of the feedingstroke for moving the shuttle lever to operative position with respectto the shuttle to move it through the return stroke, and means formoving the shuttle lever into a position where it is inoperative to movethe shuttle through a return stroke until the completion of thesucceeding feeding stroke.

10. Apparatus for fastening together the ends of a binding strap and a'clip seal comprising means for tightening the strap and for holding thestrap ends in superposed relationship, sealing mechanism includingbending jaws for forming a joint between'the strap ends and the clipseal, a reciprocable shuttle for feeding a clip seal to a positionadjacentthe sealing mechanism, a shuttle lever for operating the shuttlethrough a feeding stroke and through a return stroke, means for-movingthe shuttle lever into inoperative position with respect to the shuttleand the movement thereof through the return stroke, whereby the shuttlecannot be moved through a return stroke until the shuttlelever is againmoved to opera-- tive position, means for moving the shuttle lever atthe end of the feeding stroke into operative position with respect tothe shuttle for moving it through the return stroke, and means foractuating the shuttle lever.

HERMAN J. SPENCER.

